Former England captain Lewis Moody has revealed he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
The 47-year-old World Cup winner, who lifted seven Premiership titles with Leicester before moving to Bath in 2010, said he is still coming to terms with the muscle-wasting condition, which claimed the lives of fellow rugby players Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow.
Moody, speaking a televised interview two weeks after receiving the diagnosis, admitted he is not yet ready to confront the full implications.
“There’s something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute,” he said.
“It’s not that I don’t understand where it’s going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look the future in the face for now.”
Moody, who won 71 England caps and started the 2003 Rugby World Cup final against Australia, said he feels “at ease” for now as he focuses on his immediate health, his wife Annie and their sons Dylan, 17, and Ethan, 15.
He first noticed weakness in his shoulder during gym sessions and, after physiotherapy failed to help, tests confirmed nerve damage consistent with MND.
Despite the diagnosis, Moody said he does not yet feel unwell.
“My symptoms are very minor. I have a bit of muscle wasting in the hand and the shoulder. I’m still capable of doing anything and everything. And hopefully that will continue for as long as is possible,” he said.
MND causes progressive damage to the brain and spinal cord. According to the MND Association, one-third of people die within a year of diagnosis, and more than half within two years. Treatment can only slow its progression.
The former flanker broke down when recalling how he told his family.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” he said.
“We sat on the couch in tears, Ethan and Dylan both wrapped up in each other, then the dog jumped over and started licking the tears off our faces, which was rather silly.”
Moody said the family is determined to stay focused on the present.
“There is no cure and that is why you have to be so militantly focused on just embracing and enjoying everything now,” he said.
Moody, who also featured for the British and Irish Lions, played alongside Rob Burrow in the inaugural 745 Game fundraiser last year, an event supporting research into MND. Burrow died in June, while another former Leicester player, Ed Slater, is also living with the condition.
Reflecting on his new reality, Moody said:
“It is daunting because I love being active and embracing life. There’s a lot of questions around what we need to put in place for the future. It’s still so new. I found out two weeks ago.
“I feel slightly selfish that I’ve been reluctant to reach out to anyone, to Ed. But there will be a time when I can. And I would like to as well.”
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